Air conditioning and refrigeration system are widely used in industry, commercial buildings and residential housing. During operation of these systems, a compressor circulates fluid consisting of a lubricating refrigeration oil and a refrigerant through a condenser and evaporating coil to transfer the heat.
Over prolonged usage, air conditioning and refrigeration systems become contaminated with moisture, sludge, and other particulates. Such contaminants, together with the lubricating oil and refrigerant, can form acids in the system. These accumulated acids eventually cause compressor burnout. The term compressor burnout is used to describe a disabling electrical failure in the compressor's electric motor. The compressor burnout, in turn, creates more acids and other contaminants that adhere on the inside wall of the system. Thus, the system is required to be flushed to remove these acids and contaminants.
Most flushing methods require a mechanical pump to circulate the flushing composition through coils and/or system. This demands a volume of flushing composition to be used, at least to fill the coils. Typically, in a residential unit, at least 3 gallons of flushing composition may be required.
Other flushing methods use a disposable aerosol container which contains a flushing composition and propellant. The pressure is limited by the amount of the propellant in the container. The requisite pressure often decreases during the process. The disposal of such containers further burden the environment.
A need exists therefore for a more efficient method of providing a flushing composition into the interior of heat exchangers. Since current methodologies favor aerosol pumps over mechanical pumps in light of their ease in servicing heat exchangers, the efficiency of new alternatives would preferably not be dependent on the amount of propellant in the container. Alternatives have further been sought which lighten the burdens placed on the environment from current flushing products.
In addition, alternatives have been sought for a flushing composition, preferably to be used with novel methods, which do not contain chlorinated solvents. Most current flushing compositions use such chlorinated solvents as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, chloroform, methylene chloride, CFC 113, trichlorotrifluoroethane and various other hydrochlorofluorocarbons. While these solvents dissolve organic residues well, they do not impact inorganic acids. Furthermore, these solvents are known to deplete ozone. In the United States, they are being phased out of production and/or banned from use.
There is a need for an improved flushing composition that cleans the contaminated air conditioning and refrigeration system more economically and removes the acids from the system more efficiently.